New footage clearly shows gorilla HOLDING HANDS with boy moments before he was shot dead by zookeepers
The parents of the child faced a public backlash after staff made the decision to shoot the ape dead
NEW footage of a gorilla shot dead moments after a four-year-old boy fell into his zoo enclosure appears to show the 400-pound animal trying to protect the child.
The clip shows Harambe standing guard over the boy in the corner of the moat, and the two even seem at one point to be holding hands.
Witnesses claim the gorilla was acting protectively in the tense situation and may have been protecting the child from panicked onlookers who screamed as they watched from above.
Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard confirmed the boy was not under attack, but he described it as "an extremely strong animal in an agitated situation" before supporting the response team's decision to kill the animal.
The incident, which was captured on a mobile phone, has sparked an outcry of emotion with thousands of mourners branding it a "senseless death".
Ian Redmond, boss of the Ape Alliance, said: "He pulled the child through the water of the moat, held his hand gently, stood him up and adjusted his clothing.
"There was nothing in the video that suggested the child was in a life-threatening situation."
Jillian Miller, of The Gorilla Organization, said: "It looks to me like it was protecting the child.
Maybe a keeper should have tried to talk to it.” She also demanded an inquiry, adding: “How on earth was the child allowed to make it into the enclosure?"
The family of the four-year-old - now named as Isaiah Gregg - faced a growing public backlash last night over the endangered ape’s "murder"; as their child was able to climb through a fence and fall 12ft into the primate’s pen.
Police in Cincinnati confirmed they could face criminal charges after the animal was blasted to death by zookeepers fearing for the boy's life.
Michelle Gregg, mum of little Isaiah, insisted she kept a "tight watch on her kids" after medics discharged the four-year-old from hospital in the US and defended her conduct by claiming "accidents happen".
Isaiah escaped with just concussion after being dragged around by 28st Harambe who was later shot dead to protect the boy on Saturday.
A statement released by the family earlier had read: "We are so thankful to the Lord that our child is safe. He is home and doing just fine. We extend our heartfelt thanks for the quick action by the Cincinnati Zoo staff.
"We know that this was a very difficult decision for them, and that they are grieving the loss of their gorilla. We hope that you will respect our privacy at this time."
"Trigger-happy" zookeepers were also criticised for shooting dead 28st Harambe even though experts said he was not a threat to the boy.
The man who helped raise Harambe today spoke of his grief.
Jerry Stones, 74, said: "An old man can cry too. He was a special guy in my life. Harambe was my heart. It's like losing a member of the family.
"I raised him from a baby, he was a sweet cute little guy. He grew up to be a pretty, beautiful male. He was very intelligent. Very, very intelligent.
"His mind was going constantly. He was just such a sharp character."
Dramatic new video footage shows the beast picking up the lad and pulling him through water as witnesses — including the boy’s mum — screamed at the Ohio zoo.
But it was claimed the gorilla, who turned 17 on Friday, was simply trying to protect him. There was also growing outrage at how the boy, who begged his mum to let him into the enclosure, was allowed to fall through railings.
Animal lovers slammed zoo chiefs for their decision to kill Harambe — who had the child huddled between his legs when he was killed.
One Twitter used wrote: "If Harambe was going to injure or kill the child, he would have done so. He was protecting/rescuing. Senseless murder of an animal."
The Hashtag #RIPHarambe was trending on Twitter today and more than 2,000 had liked the Facebook page Justice for Harambe.
Bob Owens said: "Cincinnati Zoo shot Harambe fearing a lawsuit IF Harambe suddenly turned violent. This was bull****. Parents should be charged."
Another wrote: "So a beautiful, innocent gorilla has to die because neglectful parents can’t control their kids? Mankind sucks."
The zoo defended it actions, saying staff reacted to a "life-threatening situation" and maintained a tranquiliser would not have had a quick enough effect.
During the ordeal, the boy's mum could he heard to shout: "Mummy's right here. Isaiah, be calm. Mummy loves you."
Witness Kim O'Connor claimed she heard the boy say he wanted to get into the water surrounding Harambe's pen.
It was claimed his mother replied: "No, you're not, no, you're not." It is unclear how the boy slipped into the enclosure.
The witness added panicked bystanders may have aggravated the tense situation.
She said: "I don't know if the screaming did it or too many people hanging on the edge, if he thought we were coming in, but then he pulled the boy down away further from the big group."
The lad was rushed to Cincinnati Children's Hospital but escaped without serious injury and is expected to make a full recovery.
Mum Michelle Gregg faced death threats after posting a Facebook message, which she later deleted, thanking God for keeping Isaiah safe, but failing to mention Harambe.
An online petition at Change.org calling for action against the family for "negligence" has gained more than 115,000 supporters.
Officials said three gorillas were in the enclosure as the boy fell in on Saturday but two females were called out immediately.
At one point it looks like the boy tries to get away before getting pulled back.
Keepers killed the western lowland gorilla after 15 minutes.
Zoo director Thane Maynard said: "[The officials] made a tough choice and they made the right choice because they saved that little boy's life. It could have been very bad."
Maynard added it was "a very sad day for the zoo".
He went on to claim that a tranquiliser would not have had a quick enough effect and could have endangered the boy's life.
But social media commenters reacted with fury to the decision to kill the ape.
Facebook user Jackie Lynn wrote: "He didn’t look vicious to me. Harambe was just a gorilla doing gorilla things.
"I can't imagine the pain the other female gorillas are faced with. They need a strong male in their habitat to keep order."
Another wrote on the Justice for Harambe Facebook page: "Glad the child is okay, but this beautiful animal DID NOT HAVE TO DIE!"
And Sheila Katko said: "I don't see why they could not use tranquiliser rather than kill this beautiful creature."
Harambe, a western lowland gorilla, was born in captivity and moved to the Ohio zoo in 2014.
He had turned 17 yesterday, with the zoo posting a birthday message on its Facebook page.
Harambe was born in captivity in Texas before moving to Cincinnati last year.
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